Earlier this year, Indonesian President Joko Widodo's government submitted a draft bill to the country's parliament. The omnibus law, as it is widely known, is a comprehensive bill that would regulate many provisions in various industry sectors into one law. Lawyers say that when passed, it will strengthen the economy by increasing competitiveness, creating jobs and making it to easier to do business in Indonesia.

Indonesia recently ratified a long-anticipated bill amending the country’s 2009 Mining Law. Lawyers say that the large-scale revisions to the law could improve the feasibility of doing business in Indonesia's natural resources sector.

Buffeted by the triple storms of protectionism, costly regulations and coronavirus, the shipping industry in Asia has been experiencing choppy waters of late. However, lawyers continue to see a steady flow of work, and they are hopeful that things will continue to improve soon.

If the past summer of upheaval has shown us anything, it is that Hong Kong is a truly resilient city. This has been reflected in the city’s legal market, which has seen a steady flow of work despite not just the protests, but also the trade war, as well as industry-specific factors like changing client demands. In this feature, leaders of four firms in the city talk about how the past year has been, and what 2020 holds.

India has seen a dramatic increase in the number of start-up companies over the past decade, and with the government rolling out even more policies benefiting them, the boom is set to continue.

The Asia-Pacific region has become a hub for financial technology or fintech, attracting almost $30 billion in investment last year, according to Accenture. And as fintech businesses proliferate, lawyers find their hands full advising these exciting new companies.

As the likelihood of the UK crashing out of the European Union without a deal increases, Asian companies, especially those with business interests in one or both the places, remain on their toes. Lawyers are, however, around to guide them through the uncertainty and volatility that Brexit could bring.

Tencent, one of the world’s most valuable technology conglomerates, looks to its Compliance and Transactions Department (CTD) to help it overcome legal and regulatory obstacles as the company rapidly expands overseas. The 50-lawyer CTD is split into four teams, and in this feature, each team talks about challenges in the past year, the team’s recent achievements and what the future is expected to bring.